Get Your Back in Action

Strengthen and stretch for more effective riding

selene yeager

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All those hours hunched in the saddle come at a cost. "The small muscles in the front of your body (hip flexors, quads) work harder relative to your largest muscle group (low back, glutes, hamstrings)," says Santa Barbara, California-based chiropractor Eric Goodman. The result? A lopsided tug-of-war that can cause a world of hurt--and ineffective riding. This sequence strengthens posterior muscles and stretches the ones in front. Do it three or four times a week.